Visor construction



Jan. 25, 1944.

W. PELCHER ETAL VISOR CONSTRUCTION Filed Juge 19, 1940 INV ' ENTORS. ff/cile? d @/iaf/ d @ita/f ATTESRNEYS.

Wife? Patented Jan. 25, 1944 waiter ,.i. Belcher and Alton J. einen, nieuwe, Mich., assignors to -Woodall1ln`dustnies Jncol'.-

porated, Detroit, '.Mh.,

V'igan a corporation .b'fzMich- .Application June 19, 194e, serial :ne .a4-135s 12 Claims. .(Cl.2`9697.)

invention relates to improvements `in Avisor structuresrand particularly to that type offvisor which isusedas :a glare shield .or sun visor Within the ,interior of amotor vehicle body.

The object is to provide a visor of the charac- `adjustment it is possible to .use Va visor tof Inormal .size which'will obstruct the rays ofthe sun :passing vthrough the Windshield fof lthe vvehicle throughout an area of .substantially greater I.size than .that of the visoritself.

Generally a visor-of thischaracter is disclosed in application Serial No. 325,298, now .Patent 2,294,317, issued August25, 1942, assignedto the assignee `of the instant vapplication. The instant application :describes a visor .which .differs from thatof rthe earlier led application inrespects which will hereinafter more fully appear.

Generally the visor lassembly Acomprises a sup,- porting rod journalled at .one end .in `a conventional manner for swinging .movement to `naposi- `tion overlying the windshield .or to a Y,position overlying a side Window. A. Visor panel .is .supported on -this rod.

The panel is provided with longitudinal adjustment supporting means so engaging the rod .as to permitlongitudinal .adjustment of said means alongthe rod and maintenance of said positions of adjustment. 'Such means so engages the rod as to permit rotatable adjustment of the panel about the rod but its grip upon the rod is insufcient to maintain said positions of rotatable adjustment.

The panel is also provided with rotatable adjustment supporting means so engaging the rod as to permit rotatable adjustment of said means about the rod and maintenance of said positions of adjustment. Said means is not longitudinally adjustable along the rod but will permit longitudinal adjustment of the panel relative to said means.

A meritorious feature is that the longitudinal adjustment supporting means and the rotatable adjustment supporting means comprise generally similar tubular portions resiliently embracing the rod. Each such tubular portion is adjustable rotatably about the rod. The tubular portion of Vthe Arotatable `adjustment means .nis fadapted to 4inaintain'itself and the panelfatra'djustedfp'ositions of .rotation :abuutthe rod butfitscengagement .with the rodliis tcoi'gre'atto'fpermitioffits readylmanual adjustment longitudinally Afo'f the rod. Theztubular .portionlo'f :the longitudinal fadjustment supporting means is adapted to maintain :its ,posi- Ations :of `longitudinal .adjustment along the rod but vits ,engagement .with the rod is 'too .slightato maintain, under .fall use fconditions, the :panel :at positions -of :its rotatable adjustment about the rod. Other aobjects, .advantages :and y:meritorious ,fea-

tures of the construction will 'more :fully .appear .from the following description, appended claims, and v.accompanying drawing, wherein:

.Figure -1 is Yan elevation ofamy improved visor :structure mounted upon a-conyentionally supported rod I0 Within the .interiorfpf ..a vehicle,

Fig. i2 isa longitudinal sectional yiew through the .visormounting -upon the rod,

Fig. r3 is a cross section taken on. line :3--3 .of Fg- 2: .j

4 isa cross-section'takenson 4linev--ll lof Fig. '12.and

Fig. v5 is a cross section takensline 5-5 `of Fig. 2. A l n The .rod l0 .may besupported at-one endfinany `conventional .manner `for swivelling Afrom a posivtion in front of .the windshield .to a;positionov.er lying 'a side Window opening.. The visorpanel assembly 'indicated .as .'I 2 fis .mounted vupon therod 'for rotatable adjustment .'thereabout .to different angular positions and .forlongitudinal .adjustment 'therealong Y "The visor panel .itself may comprise an inner foundation l.element lA which maybe .formed Vof Masonite or vany other suitable .materiaL .covering for the foundation I have shown a multi-ply assembly which may consist of a sheet I6 of material, such as flexible asphalt impregnated board and a layer i8 of trim cloth, artificial leather, or the like. This two ply sheet may be wrapped about the Masonite foundation and the n metal strip 20 which is secured to the Masonite foundation along its upper margin.

In Fig. 2 this strip is shown as riveted at 22 to f the Masonite. It may be secured thereto by wire stitching or in any other suitable fashion. The strip 20 is provided with tubular end portions 24. Each tubular end portion'24 has a central tions on each side thereof which are freely journalled upon the rod.

The engagement of the section 26 of each end journal with the rod is such that the visor panel may be moved lengthwise upon the rod against this resisted frictional engagement andwill resistingly maintain itself at positions of such longitudinal adjustment. 'I'his engagement is such as to permit rotatable angular adjustment of the panel about the rod but the frictional engagement of the portion 26 with the rod is ordinarily not suicient as to retain the panel at positions of rotatable adjustment against the jar and shock of road travel which would tend toA dislocate it angularly from an elevated position'.

To maintain 'the panel at positions of rotatable adjustment there is provided a tubular gripping element 30 which is shown as embracing the rod between the end portions 24 of the panel. This element 3U has a lip 32 that extends between the foundation panel I4 and the metal strip 2U asA shown in Figp. It will be notedn that the metal strip 20 is stampedor crimped outwardly as at 34 for a portion of its length. This outwardly stamped portion has a bead 36 projecting inwardly to establishv the frictional engagey ment with the lip 32- of the element 3! as shown in Figs. 2 and 5. The outwardly stamped portion 34 provides the necessary clearance for travel over the lip 32 of' the element 30.

At each end of the outwardly crimped portion 34 the strip is provided with a detent 38 punched inwardly (note Figs; 2 and 4). Such detents serve'as stops for the longitudinal adjustment of the panel by engagement with the lip 32. The

element 30 4resiliently'frictionally grips the rod I0 so snugly that manual" longitudinal adjustment of the element over the rod is not readily accomplished but the element is manually rotatably adjustable about the rod and is adapted to resistingly retain justment.

Inasmuch as lip 32 of the element 30 is coupled with the panel through the strip 26 and the foundation board I4 the panel rotates with the its positions of rotatable adelement 30 about the rod and is maintained thereby at positions of angular adjustment with respect thereto. The enga-gement of this element `with the panel is such that the panel itself is adjustable with respect to the element longitudinally of the rod. The end journals of the panel have portions 2 6 whichkfrictionally engage the rod for maintaining positions of longitudinal -adjustment. cooperatively, therefore, the element 30 and the portions 26 of the end journals of the panel insure the panel being adjusted angularly as well as longitudinally with respect to its supporting rod. v

' able adjustmentV thereabout, one margin of said tube terminating in a radially projecting lip and the other margin of the split tube terminating in gripping engagement with the rod, said panel having means'eng'aging the lip to rotate the tube with the panel about the rod tending to wrap the tube about the rod in one direction of rotation and tending to unwrap the tube in the opposite direction of rotation,` said panel being freely adjustable longitudinally over said lip to permit adjustment of the panel longitudinally along the rod.

2. Visor mechanism comprising, in combina- `tion, a supporting rod, a visor panel provided along one margin with a metal strip having split tubular portions at each end grippingly frictionally journaled upon the rod supporting the panel thereupon for rotatable adjustment thereabut and longitudinal adjustment therealong, the frictional engagement of said tubular portions being sufcient to retain the panel at positions of longitudinal adjustment along the rod but insuilcient to retain the panel at positions of rotatable adjustment about the rod, said stripbeingcut away between said tubular portions beyond the margin of the panel, a split tube frictionally gripping the rod between said tubular portions for resisted rotatableadjustment about the rod, said tube having one margin projecting outwardlyl radially forming a lip interposed between the panel and that portion of the strip extending between the tubular portions causing the split tube to rotate with the panel about the rod and tending to wrap the tube about the rod in one direction of rotation and to unwrap the tube in the opposite direction of rotation, the 'frictional engagement of said split tube with the rod being suicient to hold the panel at adjusted positions about the rod, said panel being freely adjustable longitudinally over the lip of said split tube. l

` WALTER J. PELCHER.

ALTON J. DIROFF.- 

